John Edwards, Press and Media Officer, writes: Nicky Clee has spoken of his delight at rejoining Altrincham and admitted the club is 'in my blood.' The talented winger, a huge crowd favourite in his first spell at The J.Davidson Stadium, became an Alty player for a second time on Friday morning and goes straight into interim manager Matt Doughty's squad for Saturday's Vanarama National League North fixture at Stockport County.
Reflecting on a whirlwind 24 hours that began with Harrogate Town agreeing to cancel his contract and ended with Alty adding his attacking flair to their bid to escape relegation trouble, Clee delivered an upbeat assessment of his fitness, after persistent groin problems last year, and said:
'I just can't wait to get going again in Alty colours. It's like a lot of our supporters say, the club gets in your blood. Lots of them have told me that over the years, and it's clearly the same with me. Five or six clubs other were interested in signing me when I left Guiseley just over a month ago, but I haven't spoken to any of them. Once I knew Buzz (Matt Doughty) wanted me, that was it.
'It just didn't work out at Harrogate, which was a shame, but I'm not dwelling on that, because all I'm concerned about now is pulling on an Alty shirt again and helping us sort that league position out. It wasn't the 3g pitch. That wasn't a problem at all, and, to be fair, it's a well-run club with a great board and admin set-up. In fact, everything about my release was sorted in the space of a few hours, so I can't speak highly enough of them. It was just one of those things, really. I played the first few games, but then there was a change of formation, which altered things a bit. On top of that, they had a lot of attacking options, so all in all, I wasn't playing as much as I want to or need to.
'After the injury problems I had last year and all I went through to put them right, I want to be playing. It's not good for me to be inactive, so I spoke to them about it yesterday. They agreed it would be in the best interests of both parties to take this decision, and we parted on the best of terms.
'I've now spoken to Buzz, and it came as no surprise to me that by the end of the conversation, I couldn't wait to play for him again. I know Buzz from way back, and it just strikes me we've got the right people in charge, with him, Robbie Lawton and Graham Heathcote, three Alty people through and through.
'Buzz said he wanted me back at the club, and there wasn't much chance I was going to say no. You don't say no to Buzz. I am coming back because of people like him and Robbie and Graham. They care about the club and have got Alty's interests and wellbeing at heart.
'As I say, I can't wait to get started again, and I'll be ready to play a part against Stockport, if selected. I had a couple of operations between February and April, had a good pre-season and have had no real issues at all since. It's just a case of looking after things and being sensible, but, touch wood, there have been no problems at all. The 3g pitch was a good test for how the joints and muscles were standing up to games, and honestly it was absolutely fine.
'The league position doesn't look good, but the only way is up, particularly with the organisation Buzz, Robbie and Graham will bring to the team. For me, the club looks like it's in good hands. We've got good players going forward, so with that improved organisation at the back, I'm confident we can start climbing the table.'
Nicky's arrival follows the recent signing of experienced midfielder Gary Jones and left-back Kyle Brownhill, but the striker the club put seven days' notice in for has decided to remain with his present club.
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Welcome back, Nicky Clee
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